# Watchin Das Blinkenlights

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watchin-das-blinkenlights/3407>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [December 11, 1999, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watchin-das-blinkenlights/3407 "1999-12-11T07:02:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 1999, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watchin-das-blinkenlights/3407/21 "1999-12-14T04:57:00Z")

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As industrialization, mechanization, and computerization are happening at blinding speeds in the U.S., the unemployment rate in the U.S. has been at one of its lowest levels for almost a decade.

Thus, mechanization does not necessarily lead to loss of human employment. Case proved.

There factors involved in employment are complicated. If you can’t see this, then you better stop your armchair economics and take a real class in economics, because you’re sounding real foolish making a point that is already proved wrong.

Peace.

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**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 1999, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watchin-das-blinkenlights/3407/22 "1999-12-16T02:36:00Z")

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Regarding the title of this thread, the following comes from _The New Hacker’s Dictionary, 3rd Edition_:

> [@](#):
>
> **blinkenlights** /blink’un-leyetz/ _n._ Front-panel diagnostic lights on a computer, esp. a **dinosaur**. Derived from the last word of the famous blackletter-Gothic sign in mangled pseudo-German that once graced about half the computer rooms in the English-speaking world. One version ran in its entirety as follows:
> 
> \<BLOCKQUOTE\>ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS!  
> Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen das springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.\</BLOCKQUOTE\>
> 
> This silliness dates back at least as far as 1959 at Stanford University and had already gone international by the early 1960s, when it was reported at London University’s ATLAS computing site. There are several variants of it in circulation, some of which actually do end with the word ‘blinkenlights’.

This has nothing to do with the OP, but I couldn’t let a thread with this Topic pass by without comment.

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**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 1999, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watchin-das-blinkenlights/3407/23 "1999-12-21T03:09:00Z")

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You know, science marches on, and we have the drive to expand our knowledge. But where is it writ that we must transform our knowledge into technology? Technology doesn’t just happen, and we do have the ethical option to leave certain areas untouched.

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